Noodle Kugel - just in time for Yom Kippur

[amymsmom]

It's been a few years since I made it - I hope I remember my adjustments correctly...

1 lb extra wide egg noodles (recipe calls for 1/2 lb - was skimpy so I doubled it)
1 lb regular cottage cheese
1 pt regular sour cream
~1/2 cup sugar (I used less?)
4 eggs
1 stick butter
~1 tbsp vanilla
~1/4-1/2 white raisins
cinnamon & sugar to sprinkle
corn flakes to sprinkle

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Cook noodles & drain. Melt butter & pour into 13x9 glass pan. Add noodles. Mix cottage cheese, sour cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla in blender. Will be soupy. Pour over buttered noodles. Mix in raisins. Crush corn flakes over entire pan. Sprinkle cinnamon & sugar over that.

Bake ~1 hr.

[DGresh]

I made this last night (my first ever cooking or eating)-- delicious, and other members of my family liked it too (especially the raisins!)

Just to check, after cooking, it is supposed to be fairly "set up" (i.e. not creamy) anymore?

Thanks for the recipe

[valerie]

Yes, noodle kugel is generally firm. You cut it into pieces (squares), rather than spooning it out.

[Chew on That]

Why is this for Yom Kippur?! Haha, do you mean for the large meal beforehand? Or the break fast? I love sweet noodle kugel....delicious!

[millygirl]

Made one last week that came out great....similar to the ones above but I used buttermilk.....fantastic!!!!

[Diane in Bexley]

I just found this post and thought I would add my 2 cents: for Rosh Hashonna, I normally add raisins to the kugel, however, to my horror, I discovered I was out of raisins. However, I did have dried apricots and prunes. I cut these up in small nuggets and added them to the kugel instead. My whole family commented that this was the best kugel ever! Everyone liked the contrast of the apricots and prunes and requested me to make it this way for Yom Kippur this weekend as well.

[Jennalynn]

Apricots are the standard at my house when I make a sweet kugel. They look nicer too ; )

[jfood]

jfood just needs a place to vent and reading this recipe brings a tear to his eye. The one item jfood disagrees with mrs jfood on is raisins in kugel. And unfortunately the little jfoods side with their mom. And then the IL's do as well. They do not like raisins in their kugel.

So there jfood sits at RH and YK with a magnificent plate of traditional food, and everyone digs into their slice of kugel and smiles. jfood gingerly pulls a little piece away hoping for the best and nothing. A little deeper dig and still nothing. No raisins.

He feels like someone in Los Angeles in 1849 wishing he was in SF where everyone was finding little pieces of gold.

[jnk]

I'm with you jfood, raisins in my kugel, in the sauce for stuffed cabage, tongue, rice pudding, challah, salads.......

[jfood]

That is sooooooo mean. Now jfood has tears in both eyes. he forgot about the missing nuggets in stuffed cabbage. P-((

[AmyH]

Poor jfood! Can't Mrs jfood make you a separate small dish of kugel with raisins in it? Surely she loves you enough to do that. Imagine the joy it would bring! And isn't that what God intended those little pyrex baking dishes for?

[jfood]

Yabba Dabba Doooo. Hopefully mrs jfood will now understand that jfood's raisin request is not from Planet NJ and he made it up.

And yes with the biggest heart in the world she would definitely make one if requested. But with all the wonderful food she is preparing for the holidays, jfood does not have the heart to push too hard.

Maybe we can make one together and cut into pieces and freeze next to the lasagne bricks. That way jfood can have the benefit of mrs jfood love-kugel year round. :-)))

[WendyBinCT]

jfood's posts make me smile!

[smartie]

I put raisins in mine too and dollops of strawberry jam which I push in and under the noodles - in the UK lockshen pudding is made usually with vermicelli noodles and is parev.

[AmyH]

It wouldn't take much extra effort. After mrs jfood mixes all the stuff in with the noodles, she can set a little aside, mix some raisins in with that, and put it in a small baking dish while the majority of the mix goes into the regular baking dish. I do this all the time when making casseroles for my veg daughter. The rest of the family gets tuna noodle casserole (for example) while she gets mushroom noodle casserole. Hardly any extra effort on my part. I do like jfood's idea for the single serving frozen bricks, though!

[tzurriz]

We skip the raisins, and corn flakes; mix in the cinnamon and sugar, and add 1 small jar marishino cherries and one small of pineapple tidbits.

But we never have noodle kugel for Yom Kippur. Hmmm, maybe we'll add it this year.

L'Shana Tova and Gut Yontif to everyone!

[teezeetoo]

we make it without sweet and with sweet - we use farmer cheese when we can get it, soak the raisins in apple juice, and never add cornflakes. otherwise the recipe is pretty similar to amysmom and it never fails to please!

[DGresh]

Never having made or eaten a kugel, I've been intrigued by this thread-- could you'all fill me in on how/when a sweet (or savory) kugel is served? Is this a side dish or dessert? Hot, warm, room-temperature?

Thanks in advance--

[valerie]

It's a side dish. It usually makes an appearance at the break fast at the end of Yom Kippur since most people eat dairy meals. I really can't think of when else it is served, and I'm not sure why, since it is good!

It starts off hot, but when done right, it is equally as good warm or at room temperature (or even cold leftovers straight out of the refrigerator!).

[jfood]

jfood would also add that it is served with Rosh Hashanah dinner as the tradition is for many sweet dishes so everyone will have a sweet new year.

And oh man is it great out of the fridge the following morning (not YK morning obviuosly) but a little slice with a cup of coffee and your good to go to services.

[AmyH]

It doesn't have to be dairy. I have a parve recipe that calls for chopped apples, raisins, and orange juice mixed with the margarine, eggs and sugar. It tastes the most like my mom (of blessed memory) used to make. Instead of cornflakes on top, it uses crushed frosted flakes. I also have a great dairy recipe that has mandarin oranges and crushed pinapple mixed in with the butter and sour cream.

[janeh]

My favorite is "Easiest Noodle Kugel" on epicurious http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
It's always a hit and truly is the easiest since the noodles aren't pre cooked. The recipe calls for 8oz of egg noodles, but I find that it's best using a 12 or 16oz package.

[WendyBinCT]

Oh, my! This thread really got my mouth watering, and since I had all the ingredients on hand, I decided to blend recipes and enjoy kugel tonight. Left out the raisins, and topped with a mixture of cornflake crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter. YUM! Here's my version.

Sweet Noodle Kugel

8 ounces wide egg noodles
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled, divided
3 cups Skim Plus fat-free milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup cornflake crumbs
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 13 x 9 inch Pyrex baking dish. Spread uncooked noodles over bottom of prepared dish. Whisk together eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, sugar and 1/4 cup butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and pour mixture over noodles. Press noodles down into liquid. Let kugel stand 5-10 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together cornflake crumbs, brown sugar and remaining melted butter. Sprinkle mixture evenly over kugel.
Bake kugel until set in center, about 50 minutes. Cut kugel into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8 to 10

[Jennalynn]

That is my favorite too. I make it all the time, even for a Boxing Day brunch my best friend throws every Christmas ; )

You can adapt it and make it not sweet, I've done that by adding saute'd onions, garlic salt and pepper (and obviously omitting the sweet stuff).

[flourgirl]

I love noodle kugel - but in my family (at least on my mother's side) we never put any sweet stuff in it. It's just noodles, eggs, butter and salt. It's my all-time favorite comfort food.

[pescatarian]

we don't make ours sweet either, just use the ingredients you listed - plus cheese ;-)

[flourgirl]

Really?!? I've never talked to or met anyone before who made their noodle kugel without the sweet stuff. How fascinating. What kind of cheese do you add? (May have to try this.)

[pescatarian]

My Mom makes the kugel generally. The cheese is usually the dry curd cottage cheese and cheddar cheese too ;-) It's similar to the recipe Indy 67 posted below, but without the paprika, mushrooms and chipotle, with the added cheddar cheese and parmesan on top.

[flourgirl]

Mmm. Sounds delicious! Must try this too.

My mom always made the kugel too (and still usually does,) but in the last few years, I have been put in charge of making our cherished family recipes more and more often. We make kugel a few times a year (not just for jewish holidays.) We actually make it with these fantastic german meatballs called Klops. The meatballs cook in a delicious gravy that is perfect with the savory kugel.

Darn it. Now I'm hungry.

[pescatarian]

the meatballs sound good ;-)

I make a lot of the traditional recipes too, but for some reason my Mom always does the kugel. I make a mean challah though!

[flourgirl]

You know, I've never tried baking a challah. I think this is my year.

[pescatarian]

if you want some tips, let me know, I've figured out how to make it so it's not so dense and they come out really nice and big. I make sesame, raisin and....chocolate ;-)

[jfood]

not to interupt, but let jfood interupt. he used to make the challah for his old rabbi and sneak it into temple (extra honey was the secret).

Now your chocolate challah sounds like something jfood would very much like to try if you do not mind posting the recipe.

TIA

[flourgirl]

Yes! Your chocolate challah sounds like something I'd like to try making too. And any tips would be most appreciated. :)

[pescatarian]

I will post my recipe tomorrow ;-)

[pescatarian]

Sorry for the delay. Here's the recipe. I use the same challah recipe and just alternate the sesame, raisin, chocolate, etc.

Start with 3-1/2 cups AP flour, you will use more for kneading, etc.

4 eggs (some recipes tell you to separate a couple of the eggs and only use the yolks, but I find if you use the whole egg, the bread comes out lighter and bigger.

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup oil or melted butter (or mixed)

pinch salt

1 tablespoon traditional yeast

tsp sugar

1/2 cup warm water

In large bowl put 1/2 cup warm water, blend in tsp sugar. Sprinkle yeast over top and let sit for about 10 min. You know it's ready when it's all foamy on top.
Add the rest of the ingredients and start incorporating with a wooden spoon. When it starts to cling together in a ball (it will still be very moist), transfer to a floured surface. I keep adding a little bit of flour, as necessary, while kneading. Knead for about 10 minutes. The dough will be elastic and smooth to the touch.
Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. I also put a dish cloth over the bowl and I place it beside (not on) the oven that is preheated. The idea is to keep it somewhere that is warm(ish). Let it rise for 1 hour.
The dough should have doubled at the 1 hour point. Lightly “punch” down the dough. This is where I either put about 1/2 of a cup of sesames seeds OR 1/2 cup golden raisins OR ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chunks in the dough. I fold over the dough a couple times in the bowl and then let it rest for 5 min.
Then I let the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. You can do a crown or a braid at this point. For a crown you need to make a very long (about 18 centimetres) rope and twirl it around itself into a crown. For a braid, I find that 5 ropes work best. Join them at one end and take the outside one and put over the closest two beside it. Go the other way over two, and back and forth so that you have a symmetrical braid that joins in the middle (I don’t think I’m describing this part very well, but I just do it this way). For the crown, I have decided that it would stay in the same shape better if it was baked in a narrower pan with higher sides to prevent it from expanding outward when baking, but I haven't tried this yet.
After the dough is shaped, place on a well greased sheet pan and cover again with plastic and than a towel and place in the same warm spot. Let rise for another hour.
It will have doubled again. Brush with an eggwash. For the sesame one, sprinkle with sesames. For the raisin one, I sprinkle with a flour/sugar mixture. For the chocolate one, just hard sugar.
Bake in 325 degree oven for about 40 minutes.

[flourgirl]

Thank you so much for posting your challah recipe! I am definitely going to be making some of the chocolate first.

[Indy 67]

Here's my recipe for a truly decadent savory kugel. The inspiration for this kugel came from Laye Levy's INTERNATIONAL JEWISH COOKBOOK. However, I have fiddled with the proportions and procedure of her original recipe significantly.

I can only make this kugel if I'm also making my sweet version, too. In my family, the sweet version is the traditional one. If I were to serve only the savory recipe, I would have to deal with weeping dinner companions and provide months of grief counseling.

Mushroom-Onion Kugel

12 ounces medium or wide egg noodles
6 tablespoons clarified butter
2 large onions, diced
2 pounds crimini mushrooms, diced in large dice
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 3/4 teaspoons paprika (Hungarian paprika recommended)
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup small curd creamy cottage cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup snipped fresh dill OR 1 tablespoon dried dill
3/8 (or more) teaspoon cayenne pepper or ground chipotle chile powder
additional butter for the baking dish and the top of the kugel

Divide clarified butter in half. Saute the onions in half the butter using the following technique: Saute over very low heat, covered, for 20-30 minutes. The onions will caramelize if you cook them for a very long time over a very low flame. The onions will be done when they are limp, translucent, and pale golden brown.

Saute the mushrooms in the remaining butter, uncovered, over moderate heat. At the beginning of the cooking, the mushrooms will cook in the butter. However, shortly, the mushrooms will give off quite a bit of liquid. Keep cooking until all the liquid has evaporated. Add the minced garlic to the mushroom saute pan at this point. Cook 2-3 additional minutes beyond the point when the liquid evaporates.

Combine the onion-garlic-mushroom mixture and set aside.

Combine the paprika, eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, dill, salt and pepper, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Boil the noodles in salted water for about 4 minutes until they are tender, but firmer than usually desired. Drain the noodles.

Butter a 2 1/2 quart baking dish.

Combine the cooked noodles, onion mixture, and cottage cheese mixture and pour into the baking dish. Dot the top of the kugel with additional butter.

Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Notes:

This kugel may be made one day in advance. If so, take the kugel out of the oven 15-30 minutes before cooking. Also, increase the cooking time by 15 minutes. For the first 15 minutes, the kugel should cook covered. Then, remove the cover, and continue cooking following the standard procedure described above.

Cultivated white button mushrooms may be used; however, I prefer the flavor of wild mushroom varieties.

The 3/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chipotle pepper is actually a pretty timid amount. You are trying to develop a little heat as a conterpoint to the many bland ingredients.

[WendyBinCT]

WOW, this sounds scrumptious! Copying to my recipe file! Thanks so much!

[flourgirl]

omigod - this sounds fantastic!!! I am absolutely going to have to try this. Thanks!

[lagatta]

That sounds utterly heavenly - I don't eat much sugar, nor do the people I'd be serving a kugel to (wife Jewish, husband wannabee, both vegetarian). And they are fond of spicy things. Thanks! L'shana tova! Bonne année 5768 de Montréal!

Noting that while your recipe does not contain refined sugar, with the caramelised onions it is naturally sweet, so appropriate for the season.

[LizR]

Me too! Me too! For a break fast we're going to on Saturday, I'm bringing my grandma's "not sweet" kugel. Brown onions (I use shallots) in margarine or butter with chicken bullion. Add to package of egg noodles, 3 or 4 eggs, salt, pepper, and bake. It's my favorite. (Originally, my great grandmother made it with schmaltz. The bullion with the margarine or butter tries to recapture that sort of flavor.)

I love sweet kugels, too, particularly the one from the Joy of Cooking. (I always omit raisins. Hate 'em.) I am also quite partial to a "Jerusalem" kugel- no dairy, and uses capellini, LOTS of oil, eggs, salt and LOTS of pepper. I do this one at Chanukah. Sort of sweet and savory combined. L'shana tovah!

[flourgirl]

The next time I make my mom's kugel, I'm definitely going to try it with the onions browned in butter and bullion. Hmmm. I wonder how my mother will handle me messing with her mother's recipe ;)
'

[Mother of four]

I just cook the noodles, drain and then mix the rest of the ingredients in. You really don't have to worry about a blender. It all bakes up and is delicious. A very happy and healthy New Year!!!!

[amymsmom]

I like the texture. It becomes very creamy.